Shido on the Fraxinus was currently facing the greatest crisis of his life.
Meanwhile, Koushi Hōoin, the true center of the storm, was experiencing "social death" in another sense entirely.
"Puh ha!"
Koushi suddenly shot out of the warm water in his bathtub, his ice-blue long hair sticking wetly to his cheeks and smooth back.
He (She?) coughed violently, choking on several mouthfuls of bathwater, his face filled with lingering shock and extreme humiliation.
(I'm... I'm alive... Damn it, I almost became the first Herrscher to drown in his own bathtub... If that got out, Aha would laugh until the next Amber Era!)
Minutes ago, he had sneaked in through the bathroom window, dragging the soaking wet, mud-stained, and ripped 'Welt' suit and spirit dress.
Now, he just wanted to immediately, instantly, and momentarily deactivate this cursed transformation, and then throw himself into bed to sleep until the end of the world!
He stood before the full-length mirror in the bathroom, looking at the tall, handsome 'Welt' in the mirror, who was wearing a torn suit and spirit dress. He took a deep breath and concentrated.
(Deactivate the transformation! Deactivate! Change me back immediately! I don't want to wear this outfit for another second!)
Driven by his will, the [all-encompassing drive] on his waist emitted a faint glow, and the familiar construction sound effect rang out!
"Rationality Sequence, Terminate!"
(Reason Sequence, Termination!)
Azure data streams once again enveloped his entire body, initiating the deconstruction. Koushi could feel the parts of the spirit dress and the suit vest gradually dissipating, which made him sigh in relief.
(That's great... Finally...)
However, just as he thought he was about to recover his male body, the light from the data stream abruptly stopped, then flickered a few times as if jamming, and finally... completely extinguished.
When the light faded, Koushi eagerly looked down at his body—what met his eyes was not the familiar flat chest and male characteristics, but—still the fair, delicate, and astonishingly curvaceous female skin.
Still the unmissable, full curves that gently rose and fell with his breathing.
Still the pair of long, straight legs, which looked even more alluring when wet.
The tattered 'Welt' suit jacket and shirt had vanished, but the red-and-white colored Reason Law spirit dress main body—the off-shoulder tight top and the short battle skirt—was still firmly molded to his body, as if it were his second skin! The Crown of Reason behind his head was even slowly spinning!
He, Koushi Hōoin, had changed from a male Spirit wearing male attire into a... female Spirit wearing only the core spirit dress, soaking wet, with all his curves exposed!
(...??? )
(WTE?!)
Koushi's brain completely crashed for a full ten seconds.
(De... Deactivation failed?! Why?! Is it a bug?! Aha!!! Did you buy this broken core off Pinduoduo?! Does it come with half-finished returns?!)
He let out a silent roar at the air (or rather, at that unscrupulous Star God), shaking with anger (which caused certain parts to tremble slightly, increasing his humiliation).
(Is it because the energy consumption was too high? Or is it a side effect of simulating Lost's interference just now? Or is it simply Aha's malice?!)
He tried to concentrate again, but the all-encompassing drive on his waist was unresponsive, only emitting a faint, low humming sound, similar to a low battery warning.
(...I'm finished.)
Koushi despairingly realized a fact: he temporarily couldn't deactivate this Spirit form.
And now, an even more pressing problem arose.
Earlier, to escape, he had crawled through sewers, lain in the mud, and soaked in the river for half a day.
At this moment, the already scanty spirit dress on his body was covered in mud, unknown impurities from the river water, and... perhaps even the scorched smell from Ellen's light blade grazing him?
Mixed with sweat, it stuck to his skin stickily, making him terribly uncomfortable.
(It's so... so itchy... so dirty... I can't stand it!) The intense urge for cleanliness and discomfort finally overcame his sense of shame.
(Forget it! I'll wash it off first! No one can see me anyway!)
She could only suppress her humiliation and frantically begin stripping off this troublesome spirit dress.
The process was extremely difficult; the high-tech-looking components were surprisingly complicated to deconstruct, especially the intricate bow on the back and the tight top.
(What kind of anti-human design is this! Aha, are you messing with me on purpose?!)
It took considerable effort, like peeling a zongzi, to tear the cold, dirty spirit dress off his body and toss it haphazardly onto the bathroom floor.
At this moment, he finally completely reverted—or rather, reverted to the full, naked Herrscher of Reason Spirit form.
Reflected in the mirror was an undeniably youthful, fair, and graceful female body.
Water flowed down the ice-blue strands of hair, past the slender yet beautifully sculpted neck, over the rounded shoulders, and across the delicate collarbones.
It finally pooled into the particularly ample and well-formed soft mounds, leaving glistening droplets at the apex, which tremblingly fell.
Further down were a waist that could be spanned by a hand and straight, long legs.
(Ah ah ah ah ah! Stop looking, you bastard! That's my body! And yet it's not my body! I don't know where to put my eyes!!!)
Koushi's (Spirit form) face instantly flushed bright red. He violently turned his back to the mirror, his heart pounding wildly.
An indescribable mixture of shame, anger, and extreme tension filled his heart.
He practically stumbled into the bathtub filled with hot water, burying his entire body except for his nose underwater, trying to numb his chaotic nerves with the temperature.
(I'm finished... This is truly over. I can't change back. If it stays like this... Do I have to go to school as a transfer beautiful girl?! And then tell Shido, "Hey, your buddy is actually a beautiful girl Spirit, surprise?")
The comfort brought by the hot water slightly alleviated his fatigue, but it also made the sensations of this body clearer.
The feel of water caressing his skin, the sense of weight on his chest, and the empty, missing feeling between his legs... all reminded him of his extremely awkward predicament.
(Aha... I'm not done with you... This joke is too much—)
The more he thought about it, the angrier and more humiliated he became, and he couldn't help splashing around wildly in the water, sending up large sprays.
(Calm down! Koushi Hōoin! You are a girl right now! It's natural for a girl to take a bath! Yes! That's it! Just cleaning the body! Don't have any impure thoughts! Even though this body is me... Ah ah ah, it's even more confusing!)
He resignedly walked under the showerhead and turned on the hot water.
Warm water sprayed down, wetting the ice-blue long hair and washing over his body. The sensation of the water gliding over his skin became exceptionally clear and... unfamiliar.
(This feeling... is so strange...)
He awkwardly reached out to grab the shower gel, but in the movement, his elbow inadvertently brushed against the fullness on the side of his chest. A strange softness and subtle tingling sensation he had never experienced before made him jerk his hand back as if electrocuted, his cheeks instantly flushing scarlet!
(Ah ah ah ah ah! What did I just touch, you bastard!)
Overwhelmed by shame and anger, he wished he could use his toes to carve a three-bedroom apartment into the bathroom tiles.
But the stickiness on his body kept reminding him that he had to clean himself.
(Just pretend... just pretend I'm washing a very realistic, life-sized figurine! Yes! That's it!)
He started trying to clean his body, but the process was extremely unsuccessful.
When he tried to scrub his back, he found the range of motion of his arms was somewhat restricted.
Furthermore, the Crown of Reason behind his head occasionally bumped against the glass partition of the shower, making a soft "knock knock" sound.
When he tried to wash his legs, bending over slightly too far would cause him to feel the disconcerting downward pull resulting from the heavy weight on his chest.
The innate physical quality of a Herrscher, which elevates them above all living beings, meant that these long legs possessed curves while maintaining an excellent, fleshy feel. Normally, the smooth, elastic stockings would perfectly accentuate the seductive allure of the slender, delicate feet.
The lower legs, devoid of any excess fat, were certainly enough to make any normal male overlook the danger of being instantly crushed by the Herrscher.
Thus, the entire bathing process turned into an extreme test of his nerves.
Every touch, every glide of water, was accompanied by immense psychological shame and the strange yet intense physiological feedback brought by this body.
(I am a man, I am a man, I am a man... This is just a temporary measure, this is just a temporary measure...)
He squeezed his eyes shut, mechanically applying shower gel while frantically chanting internally, trying to hypnotize himself.
The fine foam of the shower gel covered his fair skin, creating an extremely sensual yet bizarre scene.
(When I can change back... the first thing I'll do is pull out the blueprints for this broken spirit dress and modify them ten thousand times! Wait... didn't I construct this spirit dress through Understanding myself? Does that mean subconsciously I... No! Impossible! It must be aesthetic pollution from Aha!)
Just as Koushi was struggling against his own body while internally ranting, he completely failed to notice.
Within the steam filling the bathroom, an extremely faint, cheerful energy, perceivable only by him, was quietly gathering—
(Finally... I'm mostly rinsed off...)
Koushi let out a long breath and turned off the faucet, feeling as if he had fought a difficult battle.
He picked up a large towel and began carefully drying his body and hair, trying his best to avoid touching the "wrong places" too much.
After drying off, he looked at the blue-haired Spirit girl in the mirror—still damp, cheeks flushed, eyes filled with humiliation, and radiating the scent of shower gel and steam. An extreme sense of absurdity and powerlessness welled up in his heart.
(So... what do I do now? Wear this... skin? Wait for it to air dry? And then what?)
Just as this desperate Shame Play reached its peak, that annoying system interface, accompanied by an even cheerier, almost clamorous notification sound, forcibly occupied his vision like a pop-up ad.